When Freddie arrived to perform in the hospital room, Pam worried it was already too late. Her 88-year-old stepfather, Strobel, had ______ been moved to the palliative (姑息治疗) care unit. Pam could ______ that something had changed in him. A nurse told her Strobel’s ______ was near.
“You’re probably ______ your time,” Pam told Freddie. But Freddie ______ with her what medical professionals had told him: ______ may be the last sense to go.
“Let me go in and ______”, Freddie said. “It’s as much for you as it is for him.”
Freddie is a country and folk musician. When he was in his childhood, his mother encouraged her young son’s ______ talent. When she was dying of cancer, he put their ______ of songs to its greatest use. He would crawl into her hospital bed with his guitar and ______ her favorites. His mother seemed to relax, a(n) ______ look crossing her face.
“That moment allowed her and me to ______ like we used to when I was singing as a kid,” Freddie recalled. It emphasized to him the ______ of music. When he ______ a non-profit organization called Swan Songs which arranged free musical last wishes, Freddie signed up for the ______.
That was the case with Pam’s stepfather who enjoyed ______ music, and Swan Songs sent Freddie. That’s why Freddie arrived at the hospital that day, when Strobel seemed ready to say ______ Freddie played some songs and after 45 minutes, Pam asked for just one more song. Freddie ______ Love Me. He sang the last note and Strobel took his last breath.
“Oh my, we just experienced one of the most ______ moments in our lives. It was a gift for us all. At a really sad time, it was ______ says Pam.
1.A. still B. just C. ever D. almost
2.A. tell B. explain C. witness D. announce
3.A. failure B. relief C. time D. recovery
4.A. killing B. sparing C. spending D. wasting
5.A. shared B. traded C. discussed D. exchanged
6.A. Tasting B. Hearing C. Smelling D. Touching
7.A. observe B. check C. negotiate D. play
8.A. athletic B. creative C. musical D. literary
9.A. love B. instruction C. choice D. assessment
10.A. recite B. sing C. make up D. pick up
11.A. embarrassed B. regretful C. confused D. peaceful
12.A. comfort B. pray C. connect D. escape
13.A. power B. rhyme C. style D. sound
14.A. set up B. broke up C. heard about D. talked about
15.A. course B. program C. competition D. treatment
16.A. modem B. popular C. classical D. country
17.A. hello B. goodbye C. sorry D. no
18.A. chose B. analyzed C. wrote D. enjoyed
19.A. glorious B. difficult C. ridiculous D. magical
20.A. delightful B. hopeful C. beautiful D. forgetful
Three in five people in the UK hold a library card. For some, they’re a shelter from the stresses of day-to-day life. 1. If you’re considering joining your local library, now is the time to do so. And if you need any more encouragement, here are several reasons why you should.
Most libraries in the UK allow members of the general public to come and go as they like. 2. You can also take out a library card and borrow books for free, although you will inevitably face a fine for late returns.
3. Imagine just how many books you have at your fingertips with a library card? There are lots of modern ones, as well as originals, and you can continue to expand your learning and vocabulary all the time. It’s a priceless experience, especially for kids, and also a great way to level the educational playing field.
Libraries develop with times. They have changed greatly since decades ago. 4. Some libraries have apps so you can see when your books are due back and even reserve books in some cases. There are also libraries which let you access books in digital formats on your mobile device — pretty cool.
Libraries are one of very few spaces left in towns and cities where members of the public can come together and actually be and feel like a community. They have notice boards to offer services like exercise classes or learning centers. 5.
A. Libraries help people learn.
B. Libraries help educate the kids.
C. They create a great sense of community.
D. You can go in, settle down and read a book without being charged a penny.
E. Most libraries now have computers and allow people to borrow CDs and DVDs.
F. Libraries help us save money as we’re borrowing books rather than buying them.
G. For others, particularly the homeless and people in poverty, a lifeline to the world.
At 9: 30 a. m. on a Wednesday morning, I received a notification (通知) that I’d already picked up my phone 30 times that day! “11 left until you go over your goal of 41 pickups,” my screen read. “Put your phone down until 9: 52 a. m. ! Enjoy your time living in the moment.”
These updates were sent via Moment, an app that tracks my screen time, created by Kevin Holesh in 2014 to fight his own device addiction. He was working as an independent app developer, spending hours each day staring at screens. After work, Holesh found that he was looking mindlessly online instead of talking to his wife or taking his dogs for a walk.
“I wanted a way of seeing how much time I was sinking into my phone,” he said. “So I came up with something that could monitor my screen time.” Holesh found that he was spending 75 minutes on his phone a day. He added a function to the app that informed him whenever his screen time was more than 40 minutes. “My phone would make a sound like a bee, and I’d go and do something else. It was like a little angel on my shoulder pushing me in the right direction,” he said. Holesh figured that if the system worked for him, it would work for others, and later that year he made Moment a free app. To date, it has been downloaded 8 million times.
Beside, Moment also has a “coach” function, offering guided programs to help users focus and be more productive, for $ 7. 99 a month.
“I am so much happier, I sleep better, I read more, I take better care of myself, and most of all I am present in my day-to-day life,” Jack, a user said. Similar comments on Moment reflect a growing consciousness around “digital wellness”, the name given to lifestyle practices that encourage healthy device use.
1.What does the inspiration of Moment come from?
A. The creator’s own experience.
B. The sound made by honey bees.
C. Complaints from family members.
D. The widespread digital addiction.
2.What does Moment do at the expected screen time?
A. Monitor the screen and keep a record.
B. Make a noise to remind the user.
C. Turn off the phone immediately.
D. Force the user to take a rest.
3.What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 4?
A. Persuade readers to buy the app.
B. Provide readers with some advice.
C. Recommend a coach to the readers.
D. Introduce more information of the app.
4.In which part of a website will you find this text?
A. Fashion and Business. B. Sports and Entertainment.
C. Health and Lifestyle. D. Art and Design.
Coca-Cola, which reportedly produced more than 3 million tons of plastic packaging in 2017, announced Thursday it wants to “help fix the world’s plastic waste problem one community (社区) at a time.”
The soda giant is doing so by providing $ 5.4 million for recycling programs in cities like Atlanta, Boston, Denver and Houston. In these cities, partners, like The Green Blue Institute and The Recycling Partnership, which receive the money, will work together to improve recycling rates.
“We focus on areas where we have the ability to make the biggest influence on communities through the funding and expert skills of Coca-Cola employees,” Carlos Pagoagoa, Coca-Cola’s group director of community partnerships, said in a statement. “In each city, local partners will work together to identify barriers to recycling on a local level and test a range of solutions,” he added. “We hope the learnings from these ‘model markets’ can offer solutions to other cities facing similar challenges.”
As part of the effort, The Recycling Partnership and the city of Atlanta, where the cola company’s headquarters are based, will send street teams out to open recycling carts and leave citizens cards informing them what they can and can’t recycle, and let them know how their efforts work.
“Two of the most urgent problems with recycling in the U. S. today are lack of access, followed by pollution in recycling,” Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership, said in a statement. “We know from the success of Atlanta in 2017 that the citizens want to recycle, and that communicating with them in the street works.”
Last year, Coca-Cola announced its task to collect and reuse a bottle or can for each one it sells, and increase the amount of its products out of recycled materials to 50% by 2030. The brand also aims to make all its packaging fully recyclable by 2025.
1.What does Coca-Cola company intend to do in the program?
A. Produce less packaging.
B. Help deal with plastic waste.
C. Pick up waste in communities.
D. Build a plant to recycle plastic waste.
2.What’s Paragraph 2 mainly about?
A. How Coca-Cola conducts its program.
B. What organizations participate in the program.
C. How Coca-Cola chooses cities for the program.
D. What the local people do in Coca-Cola’s program.
3.What do street teams do to help?
A. Sort out various waste in the city.
B. Look into the cause of pollution.
C. Instruct local people what to recycle.
D. Hand cards to the locals in person.
4.What does Keefe Harrison think of the program?
A. Promising. B. Difficult. C. Pioneering. D. Costly.
On my first day of high school, going into math class, I was pointed and laughed at by two of my classmates. I initially thought my fly was open, or that something was stuck in my teeth. But as I took my seat, I heard one student whisper, “Why is a black boy taking Honors?” So, my fly wasn’t open. An honors level class had simply been taken by a student whose skin was brown.
Many people think my clothes should be big enough for me to live in, or expect me to listen to only “black music.” In seventh grade, a group of my classmates fixed their cold stares on my clothes. They called out to me, “Go get your gangsta clothes.” In one of my Spanish classes, the teacher asked me, “Do you like rap music or rock music more?” I replied, “Rock.” The look of shock on my classmates’ faces made me uncomfortable.
Now I still take all Honors courses. I still wear clothes that fit me. My music library covers from rock to pop to techno, and almost everything in between. When it comes to choosing my friends, I am still colorblind. I continue to do my best to work in school in order to reach my goals; and yet, when I look in the mirror, I still see skin of that same brown.
I believe in being myself. I believe that I myself should decide who I am and what actions I take in life. In high school, popularity often depends on your willingness to follow trends. And I’ve been told that it doesn’t get much easier going into adulthood. But the only other option is to sacrifice my personality for the satisfaction and approval of others. This can be appealing, but I’m not going to do that.
1.Why did his classmates laugh at him?
A. His fly was open.
B. Something was stuck in his teeth.
C. He went into the wrong classroom.
D. They had prejudice against him.
2.What are black people usually believed to do?
A. Listen to rap music. B. Wear small clothes.
C. Take Honors courses. D. Attend Spanish classes.
3.What does the underlined word “colorblind” probably mean?
A. Making friends of the same skin color.
B. Having no idea what friends to make.
C. Treating people equally and fairly.
D. Feeling hurt and offended inside.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Following Popular Trends B. Being Content with Myself
C. Having Faith in Skin Color D. Changing My Personality
Live at Leeds Festival, United Kingdom
A weekend of Indie music taking over Leeds for one day in May, Metronomy, Sunara Karma and Tom Grennan will headline, but there’s a focus on the city’s newer bands, with the festival aiming to bring new artists into the spotlight. Events take place across the city, with wristbands giving you access to all the places. And to go to this festival, you need to be over 14 years old.
Time: 4 May, 2019
Midnight Sun Film Festival, Finland
Almost a hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle, Sodankyla is where Finnish film-director brothers Aki and Mika Kaurismaki rock up every summer for their Midnight Sun Film Festival, a five-day-and-night celebration of new cinema. A mix of silent films, contemporary Finnish ones, recent festival hits and box-office classics are screened around the clock.
Time: 12-16 June, 2019
Fuji Rock Festival, Japan
The first ever Fuji Rock Festival was held at the bottom of Mount Fuji back in 1997 and has brought in music and rock fans from all over the world. The festival is now held in the Naeba Ski Resort and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The artists who perform aren’t all rockers. Your wristband has to be checked at the entrance. We offer facilities for children, but they can’t be left unaccompanied.
Time: 26-28 July, 2019
The White Nights Festival, St. Petersburg, Russia
The White Nights Festival is held at the city’s famous Mariinsky Theatre and shows some of the world’s best opera and ballet. It’s the best time to visit St. Petersburg because it’s held during the magical summer period when there’s almost 24 hours of sunlight a day.
Time: 23 May-2 June, 2019
1.Which festival lasts the longest time?
A. Live at Leeds Festival.
B. Midnight Sun Film Festival.
C. Fuji Rock Festival.
D. The White Nights Festival.
2.Where will you enjoy a 24-hour movie activity?
A. In Leeds, United Kingdom.
B. In Sodankyla, Finland.
C. In the Naeba Ski Resort, Japan.
D. In St. Petersburg, Russia.
3.What do Live at Leeds Festival and Fuji Rock Festival have in common?
A. They are of the same music style.
B. They focus on new artists.
C. They require entrance wristbands.
D. They have age limits.
